Multisite support is a BETA UNSUPPORTED BONUS FEATURE provided in BackupBuddy to AID you in importing and exporting subsites with Multisite. Due to the nature of Multisite we cannot provide the same level of thoroughness in migrations as with standalone sites. You should NOT expect as smooth of an experience and we only recommend advanced users attempt to use Multisite functionality due to this. As WordPress Multisite functionality is much more technically complex some BackupBuddy features available for standalone sites are NOT supported for Multisite environments. Please carefully review the features, differences, and limitations so that you are aware of them and are sure it will meet your needs.

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Multisite support is an EXPERIMENTAL FEATURE provided in BackupBuddy to AID you in importing and exporting subsites with Multisite. Due to the nature of Multisite we cannot provide the same level of thoroughness in migrations as with standalone sites. You should NOT expect as smooth of an experience and we only recommend advanced users attempt to use Multisite functionality due to this. As WordPress Multisite functionality is much more technically complex some BackupBuddy features available for standalone sites are NOT supported for Multisite environments. Please carefully review the features, differences, and limitations so that you are aware of them and are sure it will meet your needs.

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'''Installation note:'''

'''Installation note:'''

BackupBuddy Multisite support is experimental beta software and should NOT be used on live sites. BackupBuddy should be Network Activated when installed on a Multisite Network for experimental testing. You must add the following line to your wp-config.php to activate these experimental features: define( 'PB_BACKUPBUDDY_MULTISITE_EXPERIMENT', true );

BackupBuddy Multisite support is experimental beta software and should NOT be used on live sites. BackupBuddy should be Network Activated when installed on a Multisite Network for experimental testing. You must add the following line to your wp-config.php to activate these experimental features: define( 'PB_BACKUPBUDDY_MULTISITE_EXPERIMENT', true );

Introduction

Multisite support is an EXPERIMENTAL FEATURE provided in BackupBuddy to AID you in importing and exporting subsites with Multisite. Due to the nature of Multisite we cannot provide the same level of thoroughness in migrations as with standalone sites. You should NOT expect as smooth of an experience and we only recommend advanced users attempt to use Multisite functionality due to this. As WordPress Multisite functionality is much more technically complex some BackupBuddy features available for standalone sites are NOT supported for Multisite environments. Please carefully review the features, differences, and limitations so that you are aware of them and are sure it will meet your needs.

BackupBuddy Multisite is a BETA product. As such you may encounter issues using it and we cannot necessarily insure flawless functionality or that issues encountered will be resolved in as timely manner as non-beta features. Usage of it in a production environment is at your own risk; Import/Export functionality is quite solid but Network migrations have some issues which require additional intervention to fully complete if the URL changes (see limitations below for full details). There is currently not a specific ETA on when the beta tag will be removed. It will be removed once we believe Multisite functionality to be as solid and reliable as the BackupBuddy standalone many have come to love.

Installation note:
BackupBuddy Multisite support is experimental beta software and should NOT be used on live sites. BackupBuddy should be Network Activated when installed on a Multisite Network for experimental testing. You must add the following line to your wp-config.php to activate these experimental features: define( 'PB_BACKUPBUDDY_MULTISITE_EXPERIMENT', true );

Features & Limitation Notes

IMPORTANT: BackupBuddy Multisite does NOT support migrating entire Networks to a different URL. If you attempt to do so then only the main site URLs will be migrated and you must manually update all subsite URLs, for instance using the Server Information Page's Mass Database Replace Tool.

Backup entire Multisite Network

Limitations:

As a Network can contain many subsites, each subsite increases the amount of time needed to perform a backup, especially if the sites are large. This can demand more server resources or more PHP runtime. Most shared hosting does not permit increasing these resources so BackupBuddy may not be able to finish backups under these conditions. If you have access to modify these settings, Maximum PHP runtime is a key setting to increase as needed.

Limitation: As a Network can contain many subsites, each subsite increases the amount of time needed to perform a restore, especially if the sites are large. This can demand more server resources or more PHP runtime. Most shared hosting does not permit increasing these resources so BackupBuddy may not be able to finish restores under these conditions. If you have access to modify these settings, Maximum PHP runtime is a key setting to increase as needed.

Migrate entire Multisite Network (different server or URLs)

Limitation: When migrating a Network to a new server or changing URLs, domains, or moving a Network in or out of a subdirectory, BackupBuddy will only migrate the database tables associated with the MAIN site. Due to technical reasons BackupBuddy currently will not automatically migrate URLs or paths of any other subsites within the migrated network. If the URLs or paths of subsites need to be updated you may perform this procedure by using the 'Mass Database Text Replacement' tool on the 'Server Information' page within BackupBuddy for each subsite you need to update.

Limitation: You cannot change from sub-domains to sub-directory URL structure using BackupBuddy Multisite nor can you change from sub-directories to sub-domain URL structure.

Limitation: As a Network can contain many subsites, each subsite increases the amount of time needed to perform a migration, especially if the sites are large. This can demand more server resources or more PHP runtime. Most shared hosting does not permit increasing these resources so BackupBuddy may not be able to finish migrations under these conditions. If you have access to modify these settings, Maximum PHP runtime is a key setting to increase as needed.

Export a subsite from the Network

Exported subsites may be imported back into the same network (AKA Duplicated), imported into another Network, or restored as a standalone WordPress site using the importbuddy.php tool.

Limitation: The main Network [sub]site cannot be exported as it is tied to the Network. It is still included in the main Network backup however.

Here is an actual video, from one of our many webinars (we have many regular webinars planned), with details on how to migrate or restore with BackupBuddy. Note: Some functionality has changed and improved since this video was made. It is not the latest version.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are multiple Multisite databases supported?

No. A couple of plugins, such as Multi-DB allow Multisite networks to run on multiple databases instead of the normal one. We do not currently support this custom 3rd party configuration.

WordPress Multisite Domain Mapping and BackupBuddy Multisite

Domain mapping was confirmed by customers to work in pre-v3.0 BackupBuddy versions. It has not been officially tested with > 3.0 versions. Customer reports of success/failure are welcomed. Note: Some functionality has changed and improved since this video was made. It is not the latest version.

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Support Questions

non-Multisite related BackupBuddy support questions can be asked in the official BackupBuddy Forums.

BackupBuddy Pre-Sales questions, for Multisite OR non-Multisite backups and restores/migrations, can be asked on the Pre-Sales Forums, via the Live Chat (the Panda icon on top of Get BackupBuddy Multisite page), or by emailing sales@ithemes.com